Okay- you went to your child’s IEP meeting, and have a proposed IEP (Individualized Education Program) plan. The IEP team is telling you to sign the student’s IEP plan (which is 40+ pages long). You like the team members. They are so nice to you and your child, right? They
By Michelle Ball, California Education Attorney for Students since 1995 Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings for special education students can be very confusing. Many things may be said at an IEP meeting that never make it into the IEP plan. It is thus vital that parents record the student’s IEP
When a special education student is placed up for school expulsion and/or an involuntary change of placement, schools must convene a special IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting within ten days. This meeting is known as a student manifestation hearing. This is a critical meeting for a special needs student and
Oftentimes parents attend Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings where a special education student is denied needed services. Sometimes parents hear reasons such as: “no funding,” or “we just don’t have the resources.” Are these legal reasons to deny a student related services that will meet their unique needs? No!
Hundreds of thousands of parents have students in special education, but do not really know what the definition of “special education” is. There IS an actual, specific, legal definition, of “special education” outlined in both state and federal law. California’s Definition of Special Education Per California Education Code 56031(a) “Special
The end of the 2019-2020 school year was a nightmare for kids, and hardest hit were special needs students. Now that fall 2020 is starting mainly at home, students are not likely to receive adequate special education services, including their “related services.” Related services are things such as speech and
As the months of Coronavirus destruction of life as we know it roll on, it is clear that not only have lives been destroyed, but also that the educational lives of our children have been crushed. This is especially true for special needs kids, who have been shoved home and largely forgotten about
The last two weeks have been a real NEW thing for all of us: being forced home with fear, and with our kids being excluded from school, with no or limited schooling being provided or being provided by us to the best of our abilities. Meanwhile the Governor of
When should parents consider bringing an attorney into a student IEP (Individualized Education Program)? Is the student not thriving in their current school? Is the school not providing all services that the student needs to adequately advance year to year? Does the IEP team seem to deny or dismiss many
Under both California and federal law, schools CANNOT make drugging students a condition of kids attending school. This means that if a student is alleged to have “behavior issues” there is no requirement parents seek out a mind-altering substance to control them in the classroom. Despite this, there is often
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